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Climate Change and Air Pollution Read • Chapters 17 and 18 Climate Change • Natural Factors • Human Induced Global Air Circulation • Hadley Cell • 3 cells (show cells) • Doldrums – NE Trades • Horse Latitudes – Westerlies – Polar Easterlies • Coriolis Effect Factors that Determine Climate • • • • Latitude Pressure and wind belts Altitude Oceans – transport heat – moderate climate • Mountain Ranges • Geographic Position Climate Zones of Earth • Koppen Climate Classification – seasonal variation in temperature – precipitation Urban Heat Island Effect • Why are cities warmer – – – – Less evaporation because little surface water heat released when fuels are burned tall buildings block wind air pollutants absorb long wavelength radiation Climate Change • • • • • Changes in solar radiation tectonic activity changes in Earth’s orbit around the sun catastrophic events changes in atmospheric composition Solar radiation • Fig. 17-22 • Solar radiation varies • debatable correlation between duraiton of sunspot cycles and global temperature Tectonic Activity: Long term effects • two processes cause climate change – continental migration • 250 million years ago (Permian) • Continents together and over the South Pole • Permian Glaciation – ended when Pangea broke up – mountain building • global cooling in the past 40 million years coincides with the formation of the Himalayas and the North American Cordilleran Changes in Earth’s Orbit Around the Sun Fig. 17-24 • Eccentricity – varies on 100,000 year cycle • Tilt – currently 23.5 degrees – varies by 1.5 degrees on a 41,000 yr cycle • Precession – wobble of the axis – varies on a 23,000 yr cycle • Milankovitch Cycle Catastrophic Events • Meteor Impact – – – – release particulate matter into the atmosphere cause cooling major meteor impact 65 mya Alvarez Hypothesis • Volcanic eruptions – – – – also release particulate matter 1815 Tambora-largest historic eruption 1816 one of the coldest years in recorded history crop failures + Napoleonic Wars led to famine in Europe Change in composition • Increase in greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide – methane – CFC Air Pollution • Primary Air Pollutants – gases and particles released during combustion and manufacturing • Secondary Air Pollutants – generated by reaction of primary pollutants in the atmosphere • smog • acid precipitation Smog • Brownish-yellow haze • auto exhaust reactions with air in the presence of sunlight to form • Ozone in the troposphere – irritates membranes in the respiratory system causing loss of lung function – increases susceptibility to lung and heart disease – suspected carcinogen Inversions • Cap of warm air over cold air • polluted air can’t rise and mix Warfare and the Atmosphere • Fires – Kuwaiti oil fields - Persian Gulf War • Nuclear – Nuclear winter – Acid and Chemical Precipitation – Destruction of ozone layer • Nuclear Winter – pulverized soil is blasted into the stratosphere – – – – along with soot from fires blocks out 95% of solar radiation temperature in the No. Hemi. Drop to -25 C even in the summer deaths due to freezing and starvation • Acid and Chemical Precipitation – from industrial, agricultural and domestic chemicals blasted into the atmosphere • Ozone distruction – heat from the blast converts atmospheric nitrogen to nitrogen oxides and these compounds would destroy the ozone layer